Hit-and-run case: Witnesses saw Salman leave car

Very Formal: Bollywood actor Salman Khan poses for a photo for Celebrity Cricket League Season 3 curtain raiser event in Filmcity, Mumbai.

In a setback to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, three witnesses in the 2002 hit-and-run case identified him in a sessions court on Tuesday, saying they had seen him getting down from the car which had met with an accident.

The witnesses were among the injured who were run over by the car in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, when they were sleeping on a footpath near American Express Bakery.

The court is conducting the retrial of the case following recent addition of the charge of culpable homicide.

While one witness said he saw the actor getting down from the front door on the right hand side, the other said he had seen Salman getting down from the driver's seat.

Another witness said the actor got down from the vehicle, but could not remember from which side.

One person was killed and four people were injured in the incident after which the police booked Salman on the charge of rash and negligent driving and other charges.

Recently, he was charged with an additional charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which attracts a 10-year sentence.

The three witnesses who deposed today were Manu Khan, Mohammed Kalim Iqbal Pathan and Muslim Shaikh. All of them were workers of the Bakery, which was hit by the car.

The prosecution has alleged the Toyota Land Cruiser involved in the incident was driven by Salman, who was under the influence of liquor.

So far, four witnesses have deposed in the retrial.

The prosecution led by Jagannath Kenjralkar would examine another three witnesses on May 19.

All the witnesses told judge DW Deshpande that they saw the actor getting down from the car. He was held by the people who were shouting "nichey utro" (get down). Salman was held by the people but another person, who also got down from the vehicle, said he was a policeman and hence they released the actor who ran away from the spot, they said.

Salman, sporting a French beard, dressed in blue jeans and a full-sleeve shirt, sat in the dock while his sisters, Alvira and Arpita, sat on a bench in a packed courtroom.